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Complaint
Date
07/01/2004

 
             
Last update
17/10/2007

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Leather
Suite
 

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Complaint
entered by
afshin.mirtorabi@skilldevelopment.co.uk
 
If you are interested I have yet another Interline Italia disaster. I have now been waiting approx 18 weeks and I am still getting the same old story about factory closures, unavailability of manufactures and allegedly the location of my suite which allegedly arrived in the UK on the 9th December! 
In addition to the total lack of customer service and poor communication I also ordered a dining room suite which arrived 2 weeks late with all 6 chairs damaged!
Over the Xmas period I decided to take matters into my own hands and went into the store to see the customer service manager. Whilst I waited for the manager I overheard their customer service team take three similar complaints!! 
I am now still suite-less after placing an order on the 18th September and still waiting for replacement chairs for my dining suite. In addition, my dining suite has now been reduced by £60! 
I have contacted the customer service team on several occasions and negotiated/demanded £100 compensation for late delivery, £25 free leather care kit for a suite I don't yet have and the difference in the cost of my dining suite and the sale price - £60. Whilst this will go someway to alleviate my anger the bottom line is I have been mislead on a number of occasions, had to cancel Xmas as no chairs to sit on and I am still non the wiser as to a delivery date!!

Once again furniture made by the Interline Italia Group in Italy is the centrepoint of this complaint and we can only repeat what we said previously not to buy these goods unless Courts are prepared to guarantee firm delivery dates. Lead times, as quoted at present on their contracts,  are not legally binding. 

Update: 15/01/04
We have just been informed by Ash that Courts have now contacted him and told him that his suite would be collected on the 16th January 2004 and that they will be in a position to actually delivery it by the 30th January 2004
 Ash has just sent us the following update ( 20/04/04 ):
Just to complete the story, I will be receiving a replacement footstool on Tuesday 27th April to complete my order which was originally placed in September 2003!!!!
As soon as I receive it I will settle my account and never use them again!
  Ash. 
And, regretfully, there is more:
After contacting you earlier last week, my over joyous celebrations seem to have been somewhat premature!! On arrival at Courts warehouse on Friday to collect my outstanding footstool, ordered September 19th, I was greeted with a 20min wait whilst they actually attempted to locate it. Due the fact I have been waiting for the order to be completed for what seems like an eternity, I thought it best to check the goods in question upon receipt. You can only begin imagine my total and utter despair to be greeted by the site of yet more damaged goods.
 After a further 15mins of frustration aimed at the customer service manager, who continued to remain utterly useless, I was promised a call from the store manager on Saturday as he had conveniently already left. He did actually call and was again of no use. He offered to repair the damaged goods and give me a discount, however, I told him this was wholly unacceptable as I had purchased new goods and not seconds. He then explained that would have wait for a further 12 weeks until they can replace the footstool. I again made it very clear this was not acceptable and he even agreed that he would accept this kind of service. We agreed that he would contact me on Wednesday to provide a solution - although I don't hold out much hope!
 I will keep you posted.
 Yours, in yet more despair,
And Finally,
Many thanks! To resolve the matter we have agreed to let them fix the footstool and pay us a further £100 compensation. I just want to bring this sorry saga to close. Whilst I am not happy with the resolution I see no other way of resolving this.
Thanks again,
Ash
As this is yet another repetition of the problems customer are finding with the Courts deliveries we have taken the opportunity to write to their chairman Steven Cohen and we have invited him to explain as to why so many of his customers are complaining about Courts.
                    As expected he has not acknowledged our letter and has not answered any of the following questions:
  • Why do you advertise and sell furniture at discounted prices when you are fully aware that you are unable to supply these goods?
  • Why do you advertise furniture as 'Sales items' when they are not available and are not even made?
  • Why do you quote short lead times when you know that you cannot supply the goods within or before the quoted lead times?
  • How many orders in percentage terms do you supply within the lead times you are quoting to your customers?
  • What amount of money do you hold at any time in deposits from customers whom you have quoted misleading lead times and were you have substantially exceeded these lead times?
  • Why do you mislead your customers telling them that they cannot cancel their orders when they are entitled to cancellation the moment you have exceeded the lead times you have quoted?
  • How can you claim that goods have now arrived but you do not know where they are and when they will be delivered?
  • All the above points specifically relate to goods supplied by Interline Italia.  Do they also apply to all your other suppliers?
  • Can you explain to existing and potential customers why it would be beneficial to buy their furniture from Courts and not from other more reliable retailers
Needless to say that  Mr. Cohen or Courts have not replied to any of these questions and, therefore, it is up to the visitors of this web site to draw their own conclusions as to the reliability and dependability of Courts.
 
 
Coincidentally whilst writing this page we found an article in the Daily Mail dated 20th January 2004 which might be worth taking into account.
A short extract from this article is as follows:
 
Furniture Seller Courts warned profits will take a £4m hit because of the weak US currency, not to mention an extra £1m in interest costs because its borrowing are in sterling
It has also breached a banking covenant and is paying a £5m penalty to renegotiate overdraft facilities
The shares fell 17½p valuing Courts at £190m. It has debts of up to £275m because it sells goods to shoppers on credit.
 
If all the above fills you with confidence and you are happy to entrust Courts with your deposit and you are prepared to wait for a rather lengthy time for your delivery then obviously Courts is for you.

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Complaint Status:  closed    
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